Martin Shaw, as Dionysus, was not an androgynous figure. Soyinka’s production note called for "as mixed a cast as is possible" for the Slaves and the Bacchantes, and a "fully negroid" actor for the Slave Leader, but in the National Theatre’s production all the other named characters were played by white actors. The sacrifice of the king, similar to Death and the King's Horseman comes from Soyinka's Yoruba heritage. In Soyinka's introduction, he says, “By drinking the king’s blood, the community as a whole partakes of his power and all are revitalized and unified.” This is what makes the play fulfil its subtitle of A Communion Rite. Instead of Thebes dissolving into chaos, Pentheus's head begins to spurt blood, that transforms into wine. The ending of the play is much different. Soyinka adds a second chorus to the play, the slaves, to mirror the civil unrest in Nigeria. It was first performed on 2 August 1973 by the National Theatre company at the Old Vic in London. Soyinka wrote the play during his exile in Britain. The Bacchae of Euripides: A Communion Rite is an adaptation by Wole Soyinka of the ancient Greek tragedy The Bacchae by Euripides.
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